“Are you complaining?” Hunter whispered.
“No, I just don’t like surprises, and the fact that there are no monsters waiting for us is a surprise.”
“The monster spawners have been removed, yes, yes,” Empech said, his high pitch screechy voice echoing off the brick walls. The volume of it, even though he was really just speaking at a normal speaking level, was shocking as it sliced through the stillness.
Digger walked to the opposite corner from the pechs and knelt. “One’s been removed over here as well.”
“Why would Entity303 take away the spawners?” Weaver asked. “That makes no sense. He could have just destroyed the monsters that were here and then left before any more creatures appeared.”
“Maybe he’s worried for our safety,” Hunter said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it,” Weaver agreed with a wry smile.
“I think it’s safe to say that Entity303 didn’t destroy the spawners to make it easy for us.” Crafter moved to Digger’s side and stared down at the hole in the ground. “We all know, that’s not his style. He’d rather we suffered as much as possible, so destroying the spawners would be the opposite of that.”
“Hmmm … we must proceed with caution, yes, yes” Empech said. “Expect the unexpected and be ready—that is Empech’s advice.”
“Thanks for stating the obvious,” Hunter said, her voice full of sarcasm.
Stitcher punched her in the arm.
“Ouch … you keep hitting me in the same spot!” Hunter complained.
“Well, that’s because you keep saying dumb things,” her younger sister replied, shrugging.
“We must continue on,” Forpech grumbled, his deep voice making the walls of the dungeon vibrate just a bit. “Hmmm … we must find the Mars Boss and determine what he knows about our enemy, Entity303.”
“Right.” Gameknight drew his steeleaf shield and held it before him, enchanted diamond sword held at the ready. Waves of iridescent light flowed from the weapon, painting the walls with a faint purple glow. “Weaver, come up front with me. We need to place glowstone torches as we go.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Digger, you collect the torches as we move through the dungeon, so we won’t run out.”
The big NPC nodded, then scooped Tux up with his left hand, his big pickaxe in his right.
“Come on, everyone.”
Gameknight moved through the dark passage, scanning the ground for pressure plates, trip wires, or holes. It would be just like Entity303 to leave behind some traps. They moved through the tunnel in almost complete silence, only the sounds of their footsteps echoing off the walls. The lack of any other noise made everything around them seem so much louder: the clank of iron armor, the scrape of a sword against the wall, the sound of a glowstone torch being broken. The silence in the dungeon was almost deafening, stretching their nerves to the limit.
The passage led to another chamber. And as before, it had been swept clean of monsters and spawners. The only evidence anything had ever been there were the two holes in the ground where the spawners had once sat.
Water dripped from overhead. The sound of the splashing droplet on the ground made Gameknight jump.
“What was that?” Digger asked.
Gameknight pointed to the ceiling with his diamond sword. “Water from the ceiling.”
“Why is there water up there?” Stitcher asked. “I didn’t see any lakes or rivers on the surface.”
Gameknight shrugged. “It’s just the way some of these dungeons are programmed. They’ve always been this way.”
“Well, I don’t like it,” Hunter said.
“I’ll tell Micdoodle8, the developer of Galacticraft, your complaint if I ever see him,” Gameknight replied.
“Wait, that was sarcastic, but you didn’t punch him,” Hunter complained to her younger sister.
“His sarcastic comments are funny, at least,” Stitcher replied with a smile.
“Funny … you call that funny?”
Stitcher punched her sibling lightly in the arm, then laughed.
“Come on,” Gameknight said. “Let’s get to the next chamber.”
They moved quickly through the dungeon, the green bricks that lined the walls and floors looking eerie in the light of the glowstone torches. The occasional splatter of water from the ceiling continued, each drip sounding like a thunderous deluge in the empty silence. Gameknight’s heart thumped in his chest, pounding faster and faster as they moved through the dungeon. When they reached the next chamber, Gameknight charged in, ready for a monstrous response. But like the first, this room was completely devoid of monsters, the spawners destroyed.
“This is gonna be easy,” Hunter said.
“Shhh … you’re gonna jinx us,” Weaver said.
“Pffft, no big deal,” Hunter added.
“Come on, let’s keep moving.” Gameknight dashed through the chamber and into the dark passage.
They ran through the passage, turning to the left and to the right, then entering another room that seemed larger than the rest, the walls shrouded in darkness. Again, there were no monsters visible. They moved through the chamber and headed into the next corridor. Gameknight and Weaver led, while Digger and Crafter brought up the rear.
Suddenly, the User-that-is-not-a-user skidded to a stop. A huge wall of cobblestone blocked off the tunnel, stretching from floor to ceiling.
“What is this?” Weaver asked.
“I don’t think this is supposed to be here,” Gameknight said. “It’s likely Entity303 put it here.”
Herder moved close to the wall and ran his hand across the cold surface. “But what is he trying to keep us from?”.
“Perhaps the wall was not meant to keep us out,” Forpech said. “Hmmm … but instead meant to just keep us in.”
“But why would that annoying user want to just stop us here? He knows we could just dig through this obstacle,” Gameknight said.
He glanced at Digger. The stocky NPC placed Tux on the ground and moved to the wall. With a gigantic swing, he smashed his pickaxe into the cobblestone. Cracks spread across the face as he tore into the cube until finally it broke. But behind it was another block. Digger carved into that block as well until it disappeared, revealing yet another block of cobblestone behind that.
“Hmmm … perhaps there is more to this wall than meets the eye,” Forpech said.
Squawk, squawk! Tux screamed from the back of the passage.
“Tux, be quiet, we need to figure this out,” Gameknight chided.
Squawk, squawk, squawk!
“What is wrong with that penguin?” Hunter said as she peered into the hole Digger had carved.
Suddenly, a moan filled the passage. It caused Gameknight to freeze as fingers of dread clawed into his soul, making him shiver. A clicking accompanied the sorrowful wails, followed by the clattering of bones.
“I don’t think we’re alone anymore,” Crafter said in a soft voice.
“You think?” Hunter asked.
Stitcher punched her sister in the arm, then drew her bow and notched an arrow. Herder ran down the length of the passage and placed a glowstone torch on the ground, then retreated back. As they watched, zombies in glowing armor, complete with space helmets and oxygen tanks, moved into the light, followed by spiders and skeletons, their eyes all glaring at the intruders.
“We have no way out.” Digger backed away from the sounds until his back bumped against the cobblestone obstacle. Turning, he hacked frantically at the cobblestone wall, but found only layer after layer of stone.
“It seems we have few choices, yes, yes,” Empech said.
The little gray gnome moved away from the monsters and back up against the wall, his enchanted fishing pole held at the ready.
“I won’t let a bunch of monsters slow us down.” Gameknight turned to Digger. “Get to work on this wall. We need a way through as quickly as possible.”
“What are you going to do?” Crafter asked.
&nbs
p; “The only thing I’m good for,” Gameknight replied.
He tossed his shield to Empech, then drew his iron sword. Turning, the User-that-is-not-a-user faced the approaching mob, then charged, yelling with all his might, “FOR MINECRAFT!”
CHAPTER 14
ENTITY303’S TRAP
Gameknight smashed into the lead zombie, striking it with both his swords before it had time to retreat. Pushing forward, he kicked a spider out of the way, then fell upon a skeleton wearing what appeared to be glowstone armor. The bony monster’s arrow streaked over his shoulder as he dodged out of the way. Striking out quickly, he slashed at the creature, knocking the bow from knobby fingers, then smashing it with all his strength.
The User-that-is-not-a-user pushed the monster farther back until he entered a large, brick-lined room shrouded in darkness. A musty and dank smell permeated the chamber as water dripped from the ceiling. The stink of monsters was now almost overpowering. Creatures poured from the shadows as if there was a limitless supply of them; that had to mean there were spawners back there.
“Digger, I need you up here!” Gameknight shouted.
“Are you sure?” a deep voice came from behind.
Gameknight slashed at a spider, then pushed a creeper back with a booted kick.
“Yes, get up here!” The stocky NPC had still not found his courage after the loss of his daughter, but Gameknight didn’t care—he needed Digger’s pickaxe right now or they were all in trouble.
The stocky villager pushed his way forward and stood next to Gameknight, swinging his pointy weapon at the approaching monsters.
“Digger, we’re going spawner hunting,” Gameknight said. “I’ll take care of the monsters, you take care of the spawners.”
The stocky NPC smashed a spider with his pick, destroying its HP, then sighed and nodded his head.
“Come on, to the right first.” Gameknight sprinted into the chamber and followed the wall to the right.
There were monsters everywhere, but the hostile creatures didn’t expect to see them in the darkness. The enchantments from Gameknight’s sword and armor gave off enough of a glow to illuminate a two-block circle around him. Following the wall, Gameknight quickly found himself in what seemed like a side alcove, likely built by Entity303. It was dark and chock full of hostile mobs, but near the ground, a subtle yellow light flickered, giving off the faintest bit of illumination.
Monsters reached out at him from the darkness, zombie claws scratching at his armor while skeleton arrows whizzed past his head. Gameknight pushed them back with his iron sword as he jabbed at the creatures with his diamond blade, forcing the zombies and spiders to keep their distance.
“Creeper!” Digger shouted.
The stocky NPC leapt in front of Gameknight and smashed the mottled green creature with his dual pickaxes, halting the ignition process with his attack. In seconds, the creature disappeared, revealing a spawner under the monster’s green, pig-like feet. It was a metallic cage with glowing embers sparkling within it. The shape of a tiny creeper spun within the cube, its body getting larger and larger. Digger brought his pickaxes down upon the cube again and again until the device shattered.
Digger smiled, then groaned as another zombie slashed at him with its dark claws. Turning, he stepped back, away from the attacking monster. The zombie moved closer, snarling. The big NPC stepped back again, but he bumped up against the wall of the chamber; he had nowhere to go.
Gameknight caught the movement of the monster out of the corner of his eye. He kicked a spider away, then turned and fell on the zombie. The monster, not expecting the attack, glanced around in confusion. Staying behind the creature, he kept attacking with his dual swords until the monster was destroyed.
“You okay?” Gameknight asked.
Digger nodded his head, his green eyes filled with fear.
“Let’s find the rest of the spawners,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “Come on, we’re doing this together. You aren’t alone, Digger … you’re never alone.”
Digger sighed, then headed into the darkness with Gameknight999 at his side. They moved through the small side-chamber as the rest of their friends battled near the passage entrance. The clash of swords and claws there seemed to draw most of the monsters away from the spawners, allowing Gameknight and Digger to move quickly along the perimeter of the chamber.
They smashed four more spawners before they had to face another monster. This time, it was a spider, its dark, fuzzy body blending into the darkness. The only thing visible was the creature’s eyes. Instead of bright red, like they’d be on the Overworld, the evolved spiders of outer space had bright green eyes, the color of poison. Gameknight pushed the monster back, blocking its attacks with one sword and countering with the other. While he fought, Digger tore up the spawner. In seconds, they’d both completed their tasks.
“Come on, this way,” Gameknight said.
They pair moved to the other side of the chamber, attacking monsters from behind when they could. On the opposite side of the chamber, Gameknight found another hidden room with more spawners, but had to urge Digger to break them. The big NPC’s fear seemed almost overwhelming.
“Digger, we need to get these last spawners, then we’re done,” Gameknight said, trying to reassure his friend. “Come on, you can do it.”
The villager hefted his pickaxe in the air and smashed one just as it spawned a zombie. Gameknight attacked the monster before it could turn its claws on Digger.
“Get the next one while I take care of this monster,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.
He shoved the zombie back against the wall, allowing Digger to pass. The stocky NPC moved past and shattered the last of the spawners while Gameknight finished off the zombie. They then headed through the darkness, moving toward the sound of iron clashing with claws.
With the flow of monster reinforcements eliminated, the sounds of battle changed from one of desperation for the NPCs to one of hopelessness for the monsters. Zombies shouted out for help, but none came. Spiders tapped claws on the ground, begging for assistance, but no more of their kin emerged from the darkness. The only things that approached were Digger and Gameknight999.
Charging forward, the User-that-is-not-a-user slashed at the monsters. Digger swung his pickaxes, hitting one monster with his left while defending with his right. When the villagers at the chamber entrance saw their two friends, they pushed forward, squeezing the monsters between two forces. Zombies stumbled over each other and fell while skeletons snagged their bow strings on the exposed ribs of their neighbors. Between the two groups, they slowly crushed the monsters between them, eliminating the last of them.
Digger glanced around the chamber, his green eyes filled with fear. “Are they all gone?”
Squawk! Tux added. The penguin was being held under one of Empech’s arms; the other held his magical fishing pole firmly in a three-fingered hand.
“Yeah, I think so,” Crafter said.
“Let’s get back to that cobblestone wall,” Gameknight said.
The friends ran through the passage until they reached the stone obstacle.
“Digger, you think you can dig through this?” Gameknight noticed the villager’s face was a pale white color, square beads of sweat streaming down his forehead. He looked terrified by the battle they’d just fought. Gameknight had hoped being thrust into the conflict would have brought the big villager’s courage back to the surface, but he could see that wasn’t the case.
With a sigh, Digger moved to the wall.
“Just be ready when I break through,” the villager said. “I’ve had enough monstrous surprises for today.”
Holding his big pickaxe with both hands, Digger did what he did best … he dug.
CHAPTER 15
MARS BOSS
Digger labored with his pick, smashing the cobblestone blocks only to find more layers hidden behind each.
“Entity303 really didn’t want us to get into this room, did he?” Hunter asked.
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“I don’t think it was that,” Crafter said. “I suspect his goal was to keep us from escaping while all those monsters attacked.”
“Hmmm … why would your enemy do this?” Forpech asked. “It serves no purpose.”
“I know why he did this.” Gameknight said as he pulled out his pickaxe and helped with the wall. “He must know, somehow, that we’re pursuing him. This trap, with the wall and all the monster spawners, was put here for only one reason … to make us suffer. Entity303 is just like the evil Herobrine.”
“When I was his captive in that weird forest, I remember Entity303 saying something once about how he created Herobrine,” Weaver said. “He bragged that Herobrine was his greatest virus, and inserting that virus into Minecraft was all part of his plan for revenge.”
“Our enemy feels good about himself only when other people suffer.” Gameknight stopped digging for a moment. “He’s like every bully I’ve ever known; they mask their own pain by making others feel worse. I’m sure everyone in the Minecraft programming team hated him; he probably did things to them, to cause suffering. I bet this was why he was fired from the programming group, because he wasn’t a team player. He’s alone in Minecraft, and probably in the physical world as well, and the only way he’s able to make himself feel better is to cause anguish in others.”
“But what do these bullies fear?” Stitcher asked.
“They fear they’ll show some kind of weakness and become a target of the other bullies. They fear showing any vulnerability that can be exploited. They fear being alone instead of being surrounded by people that tell them they’re awesome.” Gameknight lowered his voice to just a whisper. “They fear being afraid.”
“That’s kinda pathetic,” Weaver said.
Gameknight nodded. He turned back to the wall and continued to smash the cobblestone with his pickaxe, helping Digger with the laborious task. Weaver stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Gameknight and Digger, his iron pickaxe in his young hands. Swinging it with all his might, he tore into the gray, cobblestone blocks. In minutes, the wall was finally obliterated, revealing a dark passage opening into a large room, the walls and floor lined with the same green bricks. A smattering of glowstone blocks were set in the ground along the perimeter of the deathly quiet chamber, casting the smallest amount of light along the perimeter, but leaving the center of the room masked in darkness.
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